NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

WORLD/ FIERCE BATTLE RAGES IN LIBYAN CITY: Fierce fighting has rocked Libya's Zawiya, 30 miles west of Tripoli, as rebels repelled government efforts to retake the key city. Pro-government forces were pushed out of the city centre in heavy fighting this morning, but regrouped for a fresh assault later in the day. Casualty figures were unclear, but heavy gunfire could be heard. Meanwhile, rebels fighting Col Muammar Gaddafi have taken control of the port of Ras Lanuf to the east of Tripoli. Observers say the overall balance of power is difficult to assess as the struggle for control over Libya continues.

WORLD/ SAUDI ARABIA BANS PROTESTS: All protests and marches are to be banned in Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry has announced on state TV. Its statement said security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order. The announcement follows a series of protests by the kingdom's Shia minority in the oil-producing eastern province.Last month, King Abdullah unveiled a series of benefits in an apparent bid to protect the kingdom from the revolts spreading throughout many Arab states.

WORLD/ NO BODIES IN CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL: Search teams in Christchurch, New Zealand, reacted with relief yesterday after finding no bodies in the rubble of the earthquake-hit Christchurch Cathedral. Cathedral Dean Peter Beck told Radio New Zealand that he "burst into tears" on hearing the news. It was feared that as many as 22 people could have been inside the cathedral when the quake struck on February 22. Christchurch's shattered cathedral with its broken spire became one of the most striking images after the disaster. The confirmed death toll stands at 165 after 2 more bodies were found in the rubble of the Canterbury TV building.

US/ EASTERN COUGAR DECLARED EXTINCT: The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar officially extinct on Wednesday, even though the big cat is believed to have 1st disappeared in the 1930s. The eastern cougar is often called the "ghost cat" because it has been so rarely glimpsed in north-eastern states in recent decades. It was 1st placed on the endangered species list in 1973. "The US Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a formal review of the available information and concludes the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list," a statement said. Only western cougars still live in large enough numbers to maintain breeding populations, and they live on wild lands in the western United States and Canada. The stuffed eastern cougar pictured above is said to have been the last cougar killed in Pennsylvania in 1874. It is in the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

US/ SAILOR FACES DISCHARGE OVER HARMLESS INCIDENT: A sailor has been accused of dereliction of duty and faces being kicked out of the US Navy after being found in bed with another man. Petty Officer Stephen C. Jones is charged with 'willful failure to exhibit professional conduct' after the incident last month at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command near Charleston, South Carolina. Jones, 21, is fighting the move. According to Jones, the relationship between him and Brian McGee is entirely platonic and that they simply fell asleep in his bedroom after McGee called round to watch the "Vampire Diaries". "That is the honest, entire story,"  he said. His lawyer said: "The subterfuge is, they believe this kid is a homosexual, but they have no proof of it. So what they've done here is to trump this thing up as a crime. This is not a crime". McGee was also charged but has agreed to accept lesser disciplinary measures. His pay is being docked but he will be allowed to stay in the Navy. Until DADT is fully repealed, the military has the "right" to continue to discharge if homosexuality is suspected.

US/ JOHN GRUBER DIES AT 82: John Gruber, 82, the last surviving founding member of the Mattachine Society, a pioneering gay rights organization, died Monday at a hospital in Santa Clara, California. He had been in poor health after a stroke and breaking his hip, according to Nicholas Pisca, a longtime friend. In 1951, Gruber was an ex-Marine attending Occidental College in Los Angeles when he attended a meeting organized Harry Hay. The group coalesced into the Mattachine Society. The society grew into a national organization, with major objectives including fighting anti-gay discrimination and developing a community of gay men and lesbians. Although more radical groups would emerge in its wake, it was radical for the repressive 1950s, when homosexuals were routinely harassed and entrapped by law enforcement. (SK NOTE: This picture was taken by John Gruber and is one of the 1st pictures of Mattachine that was ever taken).